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Trump Gets a Boost in First-Year Ad Boom

Candidates lined up with Trump in their advertising campaigns.

President Trump’s supporters have made sure he’s been a standout in one area during his first year in office – political advertising.

According to data from Kantar Media’s Campaign Media Analysis Group (CMAG), the amount of advertising classified as “anti-Obama” that ran during the first year of his second term (Jan. 2013 – Feb. 2014) was roughly comparable to the amount of “anti-Trump” advertising during his first year (Jan 2017 – Feb 2018). However, the amount of “pro” advertising for both Presidents during these periods was markedly different.

CMAG analysis of local broadcast, national broadcast and national cable data shows that the number of “pro-Trump” spots that ran throughout 2017 came in at 33,417. That’s more than 1,100% higher than the 2,658 “pro-Obama” ads that ran in 2013.

Nearly two-thirds of the pro-Trump advertising came from candidates running for office rather than issues groups, or political action committees. Alabama’s 2017 special election for the US senate was a key driver of this pro-Trump sentiment. Both Republican candidates Luther Strange and Roy Moore sought to align themselves with Trump’s message. After Moore secured the primary win in September, he continued with that approach.